SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/ KUSI) -- Reid Van Wagoner represented San Diego at the Live Like Zander Junior Pro this past weekend. Her 10-point ride at Soup Bowl secured her spot in the 2025 Challenger Series (CS), the ultimateproving ground for surfers aiming to qualify for the 2026 Championship Tour (CT). Surfers save two fishermen after boat capsized near Point Loma “I’ve had no words since it happened,” Van Wagoner said. “I never thought I’d be where I amnow, especially at 15, so I’m just feeling super grateful.” The powerful, four-to-six foot conditions in Barbados tested competitors' perseverance andstrength. Van Wagoner described the waves as big and tricky to read, but she felt prepared for the challenge, thanks to her San Diego roots. Carlsbad native Reid Van Wagoner earns spot in WSL Challenger Series (Photo: Andrew Nichols - WSL) “It’s been really great growing up in San Diego because you learn to surf anything and adapt toany kind of wave,” Van Wagoner said. “I’ve spent my whole life longboarding and shortboardingin Carlsbad with my brother, Jack, and he’s my biggest inspiration.” The Van Wagoner siblings continue to inspire the local surf scene with their competitive spiritand results, one qualification at a time. San Diego surfer wins Paddle-In Wave of the Year at 2024 Mavericks Surf Awards “Two things stick out to me when it comes to Reid. One is her physical ability, but beyond that,I’m always struck by Reid’s other innate qualities, like her pose,” said Tom Dahnke, a CaliforniaSurf Museum (CSM) staff member. “It’s nice to be a world-class surfer, but it’s way cooler to bea world-class individual, and that’s what you have in Reid and Jack.” The CSM’s current exhibit, “The Dynamic Duo, The V-Dubs Have Arrived,” highlights VanWagoner’s accomplishments. “It’s so much fun to present the face and the future of surfing, and if it’s in the hands of folks likethe V-Dubs, it’s in good hands,” said Dahnke. Carlsbad native Reid Van Wagoner earns spot in WSL Challenger Series (Photo: Andrew Nichols - WSL) The Soup Bowl concluded the season for the 2024/25 North America Qualifying Series (QS).The 2025 World Challenger Series kicks off in Newcastle on June 2, but Van Wagoner has a lotof goals between now and then. Since returning from Barbados, she has two days until her nextcompetition, Vans Jack’s Surfboard Pro, which is the first 2025/2026 North America (QS). “I’m super grateful to travel the world and get to experience new waves and cultures, and I’msuper excited to see how the Challenger Series goes and where this journey takes me,” she said. SO San Diego: New app ‘GoSurf’ aims to connect surfers across the county Final 2024/2025 North American Women’s QS Rankings: Kirra Pinkerton (USA) Reid Van Wagoner (USA) Sanoa Dempfle-Oin (CAN) Leilani McGonagle (CRC) Final 2024/2025 North American Men’s QS Rankings: Lucca Mesinas (PER) Jett Schilling (USA) Carlos Munoz (CRC) Taro Watanabe (USA) Dimitri Poulos (USA) Ryan Huckabee (USA ...read more read less